Bucking oscillations are vehicle longitudinal oscillations produced by energy introduction into the oscillation system engine-drive train-body, especially during acceleration of the vehicle. The engine torque is transferred via a flywheel to the drive train, which acts as a torsion spring and initially must be distorted under the influence of the engine torque. If this occurs by a rapid torque buildup, because of the kinetic energy stored in the flywheel, overshooting of the flywheel occurs, which manifests itself in the aforementioned category of bucking oscillations.
Prevention of bucking oscillations is known from DE 40 13 943 C2, in which the engine torque is influenced by controlled fuel injection as a function of the oscillation time of the bucking oscillation. An attempt is made to avoid longitudinal movements caused by bucking by a deliberate reduction or increase of engine torque in the corresponding phases of the bucking oscillation.
The method known from DE 40 13 943 C2 presumes that the oscillation period of the bucking oscillation is initially recorded. The engine torque curve is then influenced via fuel injection in counterphase to the bucking oscillation. This procedure has the drawback that, to record the oscillation period, the first bucking oscillation having the highest amplitude must be waited for before the bucking-attenuating measures can be taken, so that driving comfort is not improved to the desired extent. Another shortcoming is that the torque curve is countercontrolled to the bucking movement, which makes necessary rapid, consecutive buildup and reduction of the engine torque. This multiple torque change adversely affects the basic acceleration of the vehicle and causes a deterioration in exhaust behavior of the internal combustion engine.
A method to prevent interfering load change impacts in a vehicle internal combustion engine is also known from DE 37 38 719 C2. According to the method known from this document, to avoid vehicle longitudinal oscillations, the adjustment command given by the driver via the gas pedal is to be transferred in delayed fashion for a power control element, in which the delay is limited to the range of the zero passage of the torque curve. During abrupt load changes, the driver's desires are transferred with a delay to the engine control.
The method known from DE 37 38 719 C2 is only suitable to minimize load change impacts because of intervention in the region of the zero passage of the torque curve, but not to avoid bucking oscillations that ordinarily occur in the exclusively positive or exclusively negative torque region without zero passage.
The underlying problem of the invention is to reliably prevent bucking oscillations without adversely affecting the acceleration behavior and exhaust behavior.
This problem is solved according to the invention with the features of claim 1.